Our university has climbed 74 spots in the 2025 QS Sustainability Rankings, released by the UK-based global evaluation agency Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The university is now ranked:
• 805th globally,
• 231st in Asia,
• and 32nd domestically.
Introduced by QS in 2022, the Sustainability Rankings assess universities' environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sustainability initiatives. Evaluation criteria include:
• Environmental Impact (45 points): environmental sustainability, education, and research.
• Social Impact (45 points): health & well-being, equity, educational impact, employability & outcomes, and knowledge exchange.
• Governance (10 points).
The results are reflected in subsequent QS World University Rankings.
This year, significant improvements in "Social Impact" and "Governance" propelled the rankings. The "Social Impact" metric rose by 146 places, with its sub-indicators—Educational Impact and Equity—jumping 277 and 99 places, respectively. Meanwhile, the "Governance" metric climbed 180 places.
Despite the number of evaluated universities increasing from 1,403 last year to 1,751 this year, our ranking improved.
Leadership in SDGs and Carbon-Neutral Education
As a leader in sustainability, our university has established the University Evaluation Strategy Committee and the Dankook SDGs Committee to prepare for global university evaluations. It has implemented a research performance analysis solution (SciVal) to systematically manage SDG-related faculty research. Research papers containing SDG-related keywords in titles, abstracts, or keywords can strategically enhance rankings in QS Sustainability and THE World University Rankings.
Key initiatives include:
• Hosting a UN SDGs Declaration Ceremony involving students, faculty, and staff.
• Launching a dedicated Dankook SDGs website to integrate and manage sustainability indicators.
• Establishing specialized departments such as ESG Management (Graduate School of Business) and Carbon Neutral Studies (Graduate School of Public Administration).
At the undergraduate level, a new liberal arts course will be offered starting in Spring 2024; “Sustainable Earth: Our Choices” aims to build expertise and practical skills for addressing climate crises and achieving carbon neutrality.
Additional efforts include:
• Introducing Korea’s first eco-friendly hydrogen electric shuttle bus.
• Launching the DKU Student Environmental Education Corps.
• Supporting guide dog seminars for the visually impaired.
• Joining SDG-related associations like Race to Zero and the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI).
Jaeil Kim, Chair of the University Evaluation Strategy Committee and Vice President for External Affairs, stated, “Our university is committed to creating a sustainable education and research environment through a restructured evaluation framework. By embedding SDG visions and goals into academic research activities, we aim to lead the way in sustainability and transform into a globally recognized institution.”